As more television stations broadcast in HDTV, makeup artists must adjust their technique and products for a screen resolution quality that has as much as10 times more picture detail than analogue TV!

When I was learning makeup at NBC some 20 years ago, we were taught that makeup for TV was more forgiving than that of film. Heavier makeup could be used in broadcast TV because of the overhead lighting. Furthermore, because the station was broadcasting at about 525 scan lines, pancake makeup could be used to hide a multitude of problems.

But as years passed, cameras changed, lighting changed, and now the quality and detail of HDTV is so precise that our makeup must be clean, color correct and lightweight—yet still offer the coverage needed to make newscasters and actors look great.

Enter The Airbrush?

More than twenty years ago Dina Ousley, one of the founders of the Dinair Airbrush Systems, started to research the concept of a clean, natural makeup using the art style of pointillism. She discovered that custom foundation makeup, shot through an airbrush pen, disperses a fine mist to the face, producing a natural result in both skin tone and texture.

Scars, discolorations, under-eye circles and puffiness seem to disappear. The technique has taken hold in our industry and is now big business in Hollywood and New York. Airbrush makeup is being used on the Shows Friends , Will and Grace , CBS 48 Hours , and Jay Leno. Catherine Zeta Jones, Brad Pitt, Jennifer Lopez, former President Clinton and former Vice President Al Gore are also touting the excellent results achieved from airbrushed makeup! As more TV stations switch to HDTV their makeup departments will have to make the switch to airbrush makeup.

The airbrush sprays tiny dots or pixels of makeup at a low psi through a customized compressor. Going on, it feels like a soft whisper of air. It dries to a matte finish on contact with the skin and is water-resistant.

The tiny pixels of foundation give the same effect as what the digital camera sees. A person’s own skin tone comes through, giving a natural appearance. Men love it because it is so lightweight that they don’t feel like they are wearing makeup.

The technology is neither terribly expensive nor terribly inexpensive. Start-up kits consisting of a compressor, airbrush pen, and hose cost about $400 and up. A bottle of foundation costs about $20, with numerous applications per bottle.

When starting the process, the liquid foundation is poured directly into the airbrush cup, making it sanitary for use by several people. With only a few drops of the makeup, a transparent natural look can be achieved and each pass of the airbrush over the face and body offers more coverage.

I’m not alone in my praises for this technique. “Air Brush makeup is an easy and fast medium to achieve the quality that HDTV requires,” says New York Makeup Artist Eva Marie Denst at Makeup Mania. Eva has tested the three top airbrush systems: Dinair, Temptu Body Art and Air Craft. Pandora Zolotor, Director of Marketing at Temptu also shoots in DV.

Speaking from her experience she notes, “The Airbrush creates an even plane and gives an overall smoothness…shadows and puffiness disappear.” Airbrush makeup creates a look that can’t be achieved with sponges, or fingers. It is no longer the future, it is here, hand in hand with HD.

Whether it’s digital photography, footage shot in hi-def and transferred to film, or live broadcast, airbrush makeup is the right solution for today’s media!